The Final Desperation

A few days had passed. During this time, Genji dealt with his fair share of fanatics and meticulously eliminated several witches. Most were easy to handle, but a few proved troublesome. As a result, Genji's body bore numerous signs of combat. From remnant curses to lingering scars, he had endured quite some trauma.

In the short term, these injuries wouldn't affect his combat power, but if left unattended, they could turn into hidden injuries. Genji wasn't too concerned, though, since he only needed to make it through this world before EverRealm patched him up.

On this day, Genji spotted another town in the distance. Learning from past mistakes, he decided to go around it and save himself some trouble. But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes," not everything turns out as intended.

Genji was halfway around the town when he realized it was closer than before. He tried again, but the result remained the same. No matter how hard he tried to avoid it, he inevitably found himself drawing closer. Something was interfering with their sense of direction, causing every path to lead toward the town.

Genji let out an annoyed sigh before accelerating. As he drew near, he pulled out the [Volatile Mana Core], charged it to full capacity, and hurled it into the center. He was not about to deal with another siege battle.

"Come on. Close your eyes," Genji coaxed Astros as he turned around and covered the ferret's head.

A bright flash of light swept over them, followed shortly after by a thundering explosion. The temperature rose by a dozen degrees as large gusts of air rushed outward. Yet despite this, there were no kill notifications.

Genji waited for the commotion to subside before entering the town. What greeted him was a scorched ruin, completely devoid of life. Aside from a few broken caskets holding charred skeletons and the crumbling stone foundations where buildings once stood, the place was a ghost town.

Genji waved the smoke aside and moved through the rubble, searching for any signs of traps. Eventually, he found a cloth doll hanging from a scorched tree. The doll was oddly lifelike, resembling a mature woman in a black dress that barely covered her chest.

She had fair, milky-white skin, a pointed hat with the tip singed off, and purple fingernails. In her left hand, she held a long tobacco pipe, about the length of her forearm.

Suddenly, the doll twitched, and its hanging head looked up at Genji, revealing a face with a mole beneath the right eye. Its mouth, stitched from black yarn, curled upward as its beady eyes squinted at him.

The doll held this position for several long seconds, studying him intently, as if declaring she would remember him. Then it lost its strength, and its head drooped at an unnatural angle, like that of a hanged man. The eerie image was only made creepier by the doll's glimmering eyes, which stared hauntingly at Genji, as if peering into his soul.

Genji confirmed that the spell linking the doll to its caster had faded and averted his gaze. He searched a little longer but found nothing else noteworthy. Assuming whatever had been disorienting him was destroyed, he continued on his way. Fortunately, everything proceeded normally, and he left without any issues.

After a little while, he came upon a gentle stream of water. A small wooden bridge of 2 meters connected the two sides. Bruce trotted over the bridge, his hoofs clanking softly against the planks.

On the other side, they found an abundance of floral vegetation. Plants of many colors lined the dirt path, creating an impression of untamed wilderness. The weather also grew more temperate and mild—a welcome respite from the two raging suns.

They followed the dirt path and passed a rocky hill. Along the way, Bruce shot down a water buffalo and dragged the carcass behind them. They wandered for a few more minutes before setting up camp on top of a mossy cliff that overlooked a light forest.

Bruce cleaned the prey, portioned it into different cuts, and secured them on a roasting rod. Meanwhile, Astros struggled to decide which seasoning should be the main flavor profile for this meal.

Eventually, Genji stepped in to give his opinion. "If you can't decide, just use all of them. It's not like we're limited to one flavor."

Astros's eyes widened with astonishment, as if discovering a whole new world. He'd never considered this option before, since this was the first time he had a say.

In the past, it had always been Bruce who decided what flavors they would use. After all, the nightbane takes his meals very seriously, and frankly, they're delicious. It takes a unique kind of skill to charm even wild beasts with his cooking.

At most, Astros would help by applying the condiments while Bruce turned the food. Even then, this level of involvement only began at the start of this world.

Astros snapped out of his stupor, excitedly grabbed three bottles with his tiny paws, and hopped over to Bruce, eagerly waving his choices. Bruce examined the selections and picked some secondary seasonings to complement them. Then he got to work, using his past experiences to adjust the proportions so the meal wouldn't become abhorrent.

Astros watched with a hint of fascination, much like his millions of fans online. On that thought, Astros took out his device and began recording, for no other reason than it would be a shame not to share such a wonder.

In the meantime, Genji took out some herbs and began sorting them. These were the spoils of his witch hunts and occasional foraging throughout his travels. Due to their nature, witches often keep a stash of herbs on hand, with the more prolific users maintaining entire troves for their purposes.

Now that Genji had plundered all of this, he was running low on storage space and needed to repurpose the herbs. Rather than discarding them, he decided to brew some experimental potions instead. At least this way, he could supplement his consumables and reduce his costs.

Meanwhile, in a distant town farther north, explosions reverberated for kilometers. An intense battle was drawing to a close as a witch flew backward into the side of a house. A wooden stake, flickering with golden circuits, pierced her heart. The circuits pulsed faster and faster, as if announcing her impending doom. Then, at the peak of their frequency, the stake exploded, blasting the witch to pieces.

A grievously injured witch hunter, dressed in leather and wearing a dark bandana over his face, dropped to one knee. He gasped for air before dragging his tattered body toward a still-standing wall segment. Leaning back against it, he closed his eyes and reflected on his final moments.

This was Sivan, the first native witch hunter Genji met, and also a sickly extraordinaire. The last time they met, Sivan was running low on his medicine and needed to restock. The only problem was that the herbs required for his prescription had to be extremely potent, or he wouldn't be able to suppress his ailment.

However, this was no different from drinking poison, and also why Genji estimated the brew to have a 40% death rate.

But Sivan simply had no choice but to gamble. He had been sickly from a young age and would never have survived until now if it weren't for a certain medicine peddler taking pity on him and providing this prescription.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

So for the sake of survival, Sivan ventured into the frontier, where he was most likely to find the herbs he needed.

His trip was quite fruitful.

He had gathered everything and was on his way back when he stumbled into the same town trap as Genji. Left with no choice, he fought with everything he had and barely managed to defeat his last foe.

However, these deaths were not the same as Genji's, as the witches had set up horcruxes beforehand, allowing them to revive in a safe base. If they had used the same damage-transfer anchors Genji encountered, Sivan would never have been able to kill them all.

Now he lay there, in the middle of nowhere, taking his final breaths. Sweat soaked his bandana, causing it to cling to his face. He had no regrets—he'd lived a decent life.

But as his last moments crept in, he suddenly found himself yearning for fresh air—air free of the sweaty sourness he'd come to know all too well. With trembling hands, he reached up and pulled down his bandana, revealing a badly disfigured face.

A wave of cool air evaporated the lingering sweat as a grotesque smile of satisfaction formed on his lips. Then his eyes glazed over, a clear sign of critical blood loss.

Suddenly, the soft thuds of footsteps entered the town. Sivan opened his eyes and spotted a blurry figure with a mantle as black as crow feathers. The figure surveyed the area before approaching him.

"Hunter?" The figure asked, crouching down to his level.

Sivan didn't respond.

The figure examined his condition and brought a bottle to his lips. "Drink," he ordered.

Sivan obeyed, and he felt some sensation return to his fingers. Sivan weakly reached into his pocket and fetched a worn-down badge. The figure nodded and fed him more of the liquid.

Sivan gulped it down like a starving ghost and let out a tired breath. While he'd regained some life, the potion didn't change his fate, only delayed it.

"Want to live?" The figure asked.

Sivan smiled wryly. Who wouldn't? But he knew his condition better than anyone else, right now. He was too far gone. It would take a miracle to save him.

The figure conjured a scarlet card and slipped it into Sivan's hand. "Live," he said. "Then find me."

The figure walked away, and a short sentence appeared in Sivan's sight.

After a day and a half of work, Genji cleared out his storage and resumed his travels. They crossed a winding valley, skirted the edges of a stagnant swamp, and finally arrived at an eerie forest.

A dense mist clung to the ground, thick enough to swallow even the faintest glimmers of light. The trees stood tall like skyscrapers, devoid of leaves and pitch-black in color.

Their twisted branches interlocked high above, forming a jagged canopy that clawed at the sky like the desperate hands of the drowned. The air was damp and still, heavy with the scent of decaying wood and something faintly metallic.

Genji walked through the silent misery, each step fading into the distance. His boots crunched softly against fallen twigs and the occasional animal bone, stirring a land that had long been dormant.

After several minutes, the ground dipped beneath him, revealing a motionless stream. On the other side of the bank, through the cracks of the mist, he saw several sagging vines.

Genji stepped back, made a running start, and jumped across the water. The mist curled around him as he cleared the hurdle, seemingly resisting his motion. As he landed on the other side, a distant splash echoed from downstream.

Genji masked his presence and silently approached the source. As he drew closer, the tang of iron grew thicker than the muskiness of moss. Light footsteps soon followed as someone headed his way. Genji hid behind a tree and watched as a thin figure limped into view.

The figure wore a short skirt, a tight indigo blouse that stopped just above the belly button, and a red veil that covered the lower half of her face. In her right hand, she held a curved dagger that dripped with blood.

Suddenly, she stopped and sniffed the air. She looked around before her eyes eventually landed on Genji's hiding spot. Then, with a nasty snarl, she crazily charged at him like a wild dog. Her dagger trailed awkwardly behind her shoulder, leaving her wide open.

Genji lept out of the way and brought his arm back for a counterattack, when the person's arm suddenly twisted unnaturally. A faint pop sounded as the dagger arced toward Genji's face. Taken aback by this change, the dagger brushed against his skin, drawing a thin line the width of a hair strand. A drop of blood slid out before it closed immediately after.

A flintlock manifested in his other hand and pressed against the head. But right as he pulled the trigger, an arm slammed against his wrist, slightly displacing his aim. A large bullet tore through the side of her head, exposing gelatinous flesh.

The woman's dagger came back around, her arm more twisted than a pretzel roll. The dagger bounced off his chest as a wisp of cutting intent slashed at the throat. The woman quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding being decapitated.

The woman came to a stop and clutched her neck, digging her fingers into the area around the wound. A flash of black and red appeared simultaneously. The red came from Bruce manipulating her blood to attack from within, while the black came from the needles forming between her fingers to hold the wound shut.

The woman clumsily switched her dagger to her other arm as the mist above cleared, revealing a full moon. Moonlight coalesced around her blade, extending it by a few centimeters.

A tingling sensation prickled Genji's skin, a clear sign the dagger could now pierce his defenses.

Genji drew both daggers and unleashed a flurry of crescent arcs. The woman advanced recklessly, her body contorting in uncomfortable ways to ensure her dagger parried the attacks. Yet despite this, she maintained her speed and unleashed a large crescent of her own.

The moonlight around her blade dimmed as Genji easily sidestepped the attack. They entered melee range, and Genji easily dismembered her limbs. Yet as the arm holding the dagger soared through the air, it suddenly changed directions and stabbed at Genji's back.

A flicker of blood deflected the strike, but the dagger remained persistent. With a slight wobble, it corrected its trajectory and spun toward Genji. However, this brief moment was enough for him to conjure an energy shield. The dagger stabbed into the barrier, colliding with enough force to make Genji take a step back.

As the dagger trembled against the shield, Genji unleashed an upward blade kick, splitting the woman in half. The dagger calmed down, and Bruce drained the blood, ensuring their target stayed dead.

But unbeknownst to Genji, the drop of blood he had previously shed had abruptly vanished during the skirmish.

Around the same time, in an ethereal space, a dainty hand with purple nail polish reached out of the darkness, plunked a drop of blood from the air, and pressed it into a featureless doll. The doll pulsated a few times, each with increasing intensity, before transforming into Genji's current appearance.

Genji suddenly flinched, prompting him to warily scan his surroundings. Although he found nothing, he remained alert and assumed a fighting stance. Bruce didn't understand why Genji reacted this way, but followed in his attentiveness.

At this moment, the hand stabbed a long needle into the doll's chest, right where the heart was supposed to be.

Genji frowned, but lowered his weapons. Something was telling him the threat might not be external. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and extended his perception.

Then the second needle came down.

Genji's heart lurched with trepidation as an intense premonition overtook him. The threat was drawing closer, but remained just as elusive. Yet the more this was the case, the calmer Genji grew. His breath stilled, his muscles relaxed, and he directed all his attention to reading his instincts.

Until... The third needle plunged into the doll's chest.

Genji's eyes burst open, and he sprang forward at top speed. Ignoring his looming dread, he pushed his legs to their limits. His figure flickered in and out of existence as he made several sharp turns - until finally, he jumped over a large tree root and arrived at a clearing where his doll was pinned to the bark of a tree.

Without stopping, he rushed forward and forcibly yanked the needles out, catching the doll before it hit the ground. The immediate threat faded, but the sense of foreboding remained. A nagging unease gnawed at the back of his mind, as if a hidden danger still haunted him, ready to erupt at the slightest mistake.

Genji quickly snapped a picture of the doll, sent it to Celine, and explained his situation. Celine agreed to look into it and asked if anything stood out to him recently. At this point, any relevant information could greatly accelerate her investigation.

Genji thought for a few moments before recalling the strange witch doll he encountered a few days back.

Celine: Gotcha. I'll see what I can find.

Celine closed her eyes and pinched her fingers together, catching an illusory strand of thread. Her consciousness followed the strand, rapidly sifting through countless scenes related to Genji. After ten minutes, she came across a witch matching his description. Celine zoomed in and saw the witch playing with a featureless doll that had three long needles pierced through its chest.

The witch suddenly paused, as if noticing the snooping gaze. She looked up, met Celine's view, and the scene shattered. A fierce backlash hit Celine, eliciting several mouthfuls of blood.

Her complexion paled, and her vision dimmed, but she forced herself to stay conscious. After chugging a potion, she sent Genji the results before weakly collapsing.

Celine: High Witch Xyrela. Lair in the mountains. That's all I got.

Enigma: Thank you (unread)

Seeing the unread tag, Genji realized the divination had taken a bigger toll on Celine than he'd initially expected. Acknowledging her efforts, he added another message to her inbox.

Enigma: I'll compensate you if I survive this.

Then he pulled out his compass and began his journey as the doll in his hands gradually lost its features and returned to its original state.